The hospital trust was heavily criticised by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in March.

Cllr Chowney said: “I have to support the comments made by councillors at the East Sussex health overview and scrutiny committee on May 22, and by Eastbourne Borough Council’s councillors at their meeting last Wednesday. Our next cabinet and full council meetings aren’t until July, but I want to add my voice now to those calling for a change at the top of the local healthcare trust. I don’t accept that those who got us into this mess can get us out of it.

“The senior leaders have been there some time and what we need now is immediate action.

“Quite simply we are talking about patients – local people’s – lives here, and we want things to change, to get better, now. Our residents deserve more than an inadequate hospital service.”

Last week, councillors at East Sussex health overview and scrutiny committee said they had ‘no confidence’ in the trust’s leadership.

Mr Grayson has said bosses have no intention of resigning and said he was ‘facing up’ to the issues in the report, adding the trust was on a ‘journey of improvement’.

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